“Worse than the earthquakes and storms is sectarian hatred. For our religion is a serious sin. He who kills a single person is as if he slew the whole humanity, says the Koran. Yet outside powers have made sure to fuel the sectarian violence in Syria. ” The master Ali is a practicing Muslim and a Sunni who lives in the big town of Jbab, Deraa Governorate (considered a stronghold of opposition to the government), 40 minutes by bus from Damascus, between new and old olive trees (Syria is among the first producers in the world) and wheat fields. A Jbab “recycle” the big dark basalt stones to build new homes; his, Ali has built for itself and with spontaneous bio-architecture criteria. After a tea and coffee, takes his leave with his wife (who does not speak), indicating that Jdab there are problems and that when he went to Deraa to take the salary he found everything quiet.

Iraqis wandering in Damascus, in the neighborhood of Jaramana, the evening Iraqis (men) gather to play chess and drink tea under a large tent decorated, set up two years ago by one of them. Syria has hosted and houses as well as Palestinian and Lebanese an incredible number of Iraqis fled after Bush’s war of 2003 with the chaos and sectarian strife that followed. According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the number (floating) of Iraqi refugees in Syria is 300 thousand more than 1,100,000 people without status. They are a part are recorded.

Damascus has always given renewable residence permits but the enormity of refugees is a huge social burden. Increased rents and houses, has brought the phenomena of crime, disease, prostitution. Apart from food aid provided by UNHCR, free health care facilities and the Syrian Red Crescent Syrian, the school also free (but many Iraqi children do not go there and work), the Iraqis can not work in theory, however, the ‘ employment at the black is tolerated. As they see the tragedy Syrian? Saad (Baghdad district Qarrada) runs a laundry room: “We fled to Syria because it was easier to be accepted here, life was cheap, we were close to our country and traditions are similar. But now we fear an armed intervention outside also here to support groups of fanatical terrorists like those who have sent away from Iraq. Want to burn Syria with all its inhabitants? Many Iraqis are trying to leave. There is also a policy to make it go a bit ‘in Turkey to inflate the figures on refugees from Syria. ” Under the tent-bar, Mr. Abdel Fatteh explains that due to banking sanctions is now difficult to receive a pension from Iraq. “I came here in 2006 with my wife and three children to the danger of attacks, sectarian violence, kidnappings … Now I see everything here.” Majid, who lived in Baghdad for Adamyia, arrived in 2007 with his wife and five children after the other three were killed, one after a kidnapping, and two twins in an explosion in the city. He works as a shop-but the crisis has hurt all of Syria, and international aid to the refugees have little importance. He did the interview to move … in the United States.

Their history from Homs

Remain in Homs and will not return in the Eastern European country that has left 29 years ago with her husband Syrian M. Currently on a visit to Damascus, asking not to specify or her country of origin nor the district of Homs where he lives because “I guess I’m one of the few foreign still there and risk.” Back home frequently and also there is misinformation about Syria. Here is his version of ‘”siege in Homs”: “The neighborhood where I live – mixed with Sunnis as is my husband, alaouiti, Christians – is surrounded on three sides by districts that were filled with armed groups, especially Khalidyia. We asked more military presence, because it was risky to leave the neighborhood, my daughter is no longer went to university, many were not going to work.

To be able to travel outside of Homs have reactivated the old bus station, in a quiet area. In the neighborhood there was a big risk because of snipers, my husband one day rescued a woman hit streak on the road. ” But they say they are shooters of the regime … “There are several videos in which the terrorists claim their actions – including beheadings, hangings – and also show”. But in February the army bombed Homs and Khalidya killing civilians? “Of course there was the battle – you could not leave a whole area in their hands – and many things are destroyed. From Baba Amr Khalidyia and civilians had left almost everyone. But the terrorists had taken hostages, human shields, which have been released have told their story. ” He speaks of many girls who are now veil for security. It’s about a Bulgarian medical clinic in which the “terrorists brought the wounded. And ‘returning home, he felt caught between two fires. ” He states that “withdrawing from Baba Amr terrorists have taken over Hamidya – neighborhood with many Christians who are not from either party and that they fled – stealing and looting. Concludes that “it is still possible to peace and reconciliation, they should stop sending money and weapons to Syria.”

Gaith (“Rain”) is a student at the Faculty of Dentistry at Damascus and Homs to go every month to see family dwelling in the neighborhood of Al Zahra. Here is his version. “The terrorists had settled in the districts of Baba Amr and Khalidya (which is close to Al Zahra) and wanted to do another of those areas Benghazi, maybe even another Muslim Afghanistan. Perhaps they wanted to take all of Homs. Meanwhile, my neighborhood was almost surrounded, it was dangerous to go and work somewhere else, you risked kidnapping, murder of alaouiti, Christians, and Sunnis who were not with the terrorists. From Khalidya and Bara Amr came to Zahra and Akrama attacks like the one that killed French journalist (Gilles Jacquier, to Akrama, ed.) No, I do not know where the terrorists are, they tell me that there is evidence of the presence of many foreigners. ” Why is the army arrived in February to encircle Baba Amr? Before February, the army was in Homs, there was only the police. The government had sent in those districts of the religious, but were unwilling to negotiate. Then came the army. ” The media say that the army has killed so many civilians in Homs … “Maybe the civilians were killed between two fires. But many killed were not civilians, were well armed. ” And the massacre in Zeitoun Karm, all those horrible deaths we’ve seen in videos released in March? “They were terrorists. They also said the surviving relatives. ” How is the situation now in Homs? “There are armed groups and Baba Amr Khalidya”. What do you think of Free Syrian Army? “They are Islamists, not revolutionary.”

Zabadani

And here is Samir, a student of Zabadani, a place of mountain tourism for Damascus, towards the borders with Lebanon, where blooms the smuggling of weapons and fighters. “Of Zabadani has said little since the climax of the fighting was contemporaneous with that of Homs, in February. Months before they started protests and there were a few incidents … but then quickly are seen on the streets more and more armed men. “To protect ourselves,” they said. They attacked the checkpoints.

The army did not intervene until it became obvious that they were over a thousand armed and wanted to create a ‘liberated’. Some families who were against the government also said ‘we are not alone’ and perhaps were referring to fighters from other countries. If the army in February of weeks needed to regain control of the area means that opposed to professional fighters and sophisticated weapons. Many residents have fled the fighting, but we are left plugged into the house without electricity or telephone. Then Zabadani has started negotiations through some important families and has reached a cease-fire, the first case in the country. Part of the armed men went elsewhere, others had been arrested or killed, while others have laid down their arms. “